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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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JEPHTHAH’S VOW
AND DAUGHTER Judges 11:30-40,
11/13/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert
I. CONTEXT (Jdg 10:17 - 11:29) A. [Jdg 10:17-18] As the Ammonites encamped
against Gilead, Israel needed a deliverer to lead the military defense. B. [Jdg 11:1-3] The most valiant warrior and
candidate was Jephthah. However, Jephthah was despised by his family and
quite possibly the whole city because of his illegitimate heritage. C. [Jdg 11:4-11] Nevertheless, the city was
in a desperate situation and was willing to not only humble themselves, but
also submit to the total rule of Jephthah if he would take leadership in
their defense. D. [Jdg 11:12-29] After his inauguration,
Jephthah attempted to negotiate with the king of the sons of Ammon. But their
dispute could not be resolved due to the false accusations that the king
brought against Israel. So, because of Jephthah’s apparent devotion to the
Lord and Jewish people, he handed the outcome of the impending battle in the
hands of the Lord. The Lord gave His approval to the leadership of Jephthah
by putting His Spirit upon Jephthah. II. JEPHTHAH’S VOW (Jdg 11:30-31) A. [30] A tradition of pagans was to promise
something to the gods if they would give them victory. A similar same concept
was not unusual in Israel’s history with Yahweh (cf. Ge 28:20-22 cf. Ge
31:13; Nu 21:2). In keeping with this concept, Jephthah made a vow to the
Lord conditioned on that if the Lord would give him victory over the sons of
Ammon. B. However, would Jephthah have needed to
make a vow with the Lord? Would not a vow show a lack of faith in God’s
deliverance similar to Gideon’s fleece? C. [31] God’s part was giving the sons of
Ammon into Jephthah’s hand. Jephthah’s part was the sacrifice of whatever
came out of his house. 1. Some have suggested that Jephthah gave
two alternatives, as in “given to the Lord ‘or’ offer it up as a burnt offering.” In support, human sacrifice
was forbidden in the Mosaic Law (Le 18:21; Dt 12:31). 2. Others have suggested that Jephthah
simply gave his daughter to the Lord (“it
shall be the LORD'S”) symbolically as an offering.
This meant that he would consecrate his daughter to a lifetime of celibate
service to the Lord (cf. Nu 30:2-14; i.e. “weep because of my
virginity,” (Jdg 11:37-38). 3. (1) In opposition to this minimal views,
they seem less plausible in light of the surrounding pagan societies familiar
with human sacrifice (2Ki 3:27). (2) “Or” is a rare translation of וְ (ve or we) and the use
of אוֹ (ō) would be expected (cf. 34). (3) “Burnt
offering” (ōlah - whole burnt offering) is the normal word used
in the OT for complete sacrifice and burning (Le 1:3-9). (4) It is very
plausible that Jephthah never considered that it would be his daughter that
came out of the house first. (5) Jephthah appeared willing to do anything for
a victory. (6) A yearly memorial for Jephthah’s daughter would hardly apply
to celibate service to the Lord. III. JEPHTHAH’S VICTORY (Jdg
11:32-33) A. [32] In a decisive battle
which Jephthah took to the sons of Ammon, the Lord gave them into his hands. B. [33] It was
a “very great slaughter” in which Jephthah took “twenty cities.” It began
from Aroer (r[eAr[] Ᾱ-rō-ęr or r[or>[; Ᾱr-ōr) to the entrance of Minnith and as far
as Abel Keramim. C. Though a great and decisive
battle took place, the author swiftly moved to the personal tragedy of
Jephthah’s life at Mizpah (34-40). IV. JEPHTHAH’S DISMAY (Jdg
11:34-38) A. [34] Obviously, Jephthah and
the soldiers returned with jubilation in the Lord’s deliverance over the sons
of Ammon. But this joy was soon turned to great sorrow and sadness. In a
jaw-dropping sequence, Jephthah’s daughter came out to meet him likewise
rejoicing with dancing and tambourines. The author pauses to heighten the
scene in informing the reader that she “she was his one and only child; besides her he had no
son or daughter.” B. [35] Instead
of taking his only daughter immediately in his arms, he “tore his clothes,” a
symbol of unparalleled grief. He exclaimed to his daughter that she had
brought him very low even as those Ammonites who troubled him. The reason
what that he remembered his vow and his only daughter was the first to come
out of the house and greet him. Jephthah’s grief was that he had given his
word to the Lord and therefore could not take it back. C. One could
easily surmise that both Jephthah and his daughter were not expecting the
fulfillment of the vow to fall upon her. D. [36] The
response of the daughter was one of unequaled loyalty and devotion to her
father’s God. She affirmed that the
Lord kept His part of the bargain avenging their enemies, and now Jephthah
must keep his part. E. [37-38] She
requested that her father wait two months before fulfilling his vow to the
Lord. The two months would be a mourning period for her to weep “because of
her virginity.” Again, such sadness could hardly be due to a celibate life of
service to the Lord. It must have referred to the fact that her life would
soon be sacrificed without her ever having a husband and children, a desire
for every Hebrew girl (Ge 30:1; Pr 30:15-16). Jephthah complied to the two months on that basis (38). V. JEPHTHAH’S FULFILLED VOW (Jdg
11:39-40) A. [39] When his daughter
returned in two months, Jephthah’s vow was fulfilled and his daughter was
sacrificed. B. [40] Such a
tragic ending did not go unnoticed nor forgotten. For we read that this event
became a custom in Israel. Yearly, in a four day commemoration, the daughters
of Israel gathered to memorialize the death of Jephthah’s daughter. VI. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. What we have before us is a
situation where a zealous and well-meaning worshipper of God made a rash vow,
maintained a misunderstanding of the character of God, and continued in an
uncompromised devotion to error. B. Rash Vow
- Jephthah had no cause for a vow because the Lord had already affirmed that
He would be Israel’s deliverer when He placed His Spirit upon him (Jdg
11:29). The fact that the Spirit came upon Jephthah is no justification to
suggest that Jephthah was led by the Lord to make the vow. Even with the
indwelling Spirit of God it is possible for a believer to act in an
unbiblical manner and with a lack of faith. C. Misunderstanding
of God’s Character - God had established and allowed the people of Israel
to make vows before Him for various reasons (Le 22:21-23; 27:1-2; Nu 6:2-9;
21:2; 30:2-14; Dt 23:21-23; 1Sa 1:11 cf. Pr 31:2; 20:25; Ec 5:4-5; Ps 61:5,
8; Is 19:21; Je 44:25; Jon 1:16; Mt 5:33; Ac 18:18). Though the vows were
binding with consequences (Ec 5:4-5), they were never to conflict with other
instructions from God, such as sacrificing human life (Le 18:21; Dt 12:31). Vows were to be made as a motivating impetus for the
loving and obedient worshipper of the Lord. In God’s moral value system,
human life is more important than fulfilling a rash vow. The response of
Jephthah’s daughter resembled the attitude of Isaac. But the Lord did not
demand Isaac’s life. In fact the only time that the Lord demanded the
sacrifice of a son was when it was His own Son. D. Uncompromised
Devotion To Error - Because Jephthah misunderstood God’s character, he also misunderstood his devotion to the Lord.
Obedience is better than sacrifice when obedience is directed by the Lord
(1Sa 15:22). But humility and repentance are better than an uncompromised
devotion to error. One must be accustomed to throwing oneself upon God’s
mercy and grace for any sin, including a rash vow. E. We can learn
from Jephthah not to speak rashly to anyone, especially the Lord. We can
learn from both Jephthah and Gideon that God desires obedient faith and
humility and not fleeces and bargains. And we can learn that the believer is
to continue in uncompromised devotion to God and His truth, but not to a
misunderstanding of either, and especially not to error. |
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